The Corsa E's (2014-2019) Most Common MOT Failures — and How to Catch Them First

The Vauxhall Corsa sits just behind the Ford Fiesta as one of the most common cars on UK roads, which means it too has an enormous body of real DVSA test data behind it. For a 2016 Corsa specifically, that car falls within the Corsa E generation — produced 2014 to 2019 — genuinely one of the stronger periods in the Corsa's history, but with its own distinct, well-documented pattern of what tends to go wrong at MOT time. Here's what the actual data says.

First, the Genuinely Good News: 2015-2016 Is a Strong Window

Before getting into what fails, it's worth knowing where a 2016 Corsa actually sits in the model's broader reliability picture, because it's better than you might assume. Analysis across 7,997,744 MOT tests spanning 719,447 vehicles found that 2015-2016 emerges as the strongest window in the Corsa's recent history, with the 2016 petrol Corsa E achieving an 80.4% pass rate and a dangerous-defect rate of just 28.2% — a marked improvement on the preceding Corsa D generation (2006-2014), where 2013 models scored as low as a 45.2% dangerous-defect rate. The E generation specifically introduced better corrosion protection and general build improvements over its predecessor, and it shows clearly in the failure data.

The Single Most Specific, Well-Documented Issue: Front Strut Top Mounts

If there's one fault that comes up more consistently than any other for this specific car, it's this one, and it's worth knowing by name. Multiple Corsa E owners report an identical failure — "Offside Front Macpherson strut mounting likely to fail (top mount)" — often on cars with genuinely low mileage. One owner's Corsa failed on this at just 23,000 miles; another reported Vauxhall replacing the front suspension mounts under goodwill after knocking noises developed by 20,000 miles, describing it as feeling like "a weak part" on the model. This lines up precisely with the DVSA category data, which shows suspension as the second-largest failure category for Vauxhall overall (21.7% of all failures), right behind electrical.

The front strut top mount. / The same mount, on an actual car.

The practical takeaway: if you're driving over speed bumps or potholes and hear a knock from the front of the car, or feel any catching or grinding when turning the wheel lock to lock while stationary, that's worth checking specifically for this mount issue before it becomes an MOT surprise.

Suspension More Broadly — the Second Major Category

Beyond the specific strut mount issue, suspension wear generally follows the same pattern as most ageing cars — worn bushes, tired dampers, and general play developing in the front end. One Corsa E owner also reported split or perished track rod ends flagged at a routine service check, which would have been an MOT failure had it not been caught first — track rod ends are a steering-linked component, but they're frequently grouped with suspension wear in practice since they fail for the same underlying reason: age and mileage on rubber and metal joints designed to wear gradually.

A tie rod end — the same age-and-mileage wear pattern as the suspension bushes above.

Brakes — the Third-Largest Category, and Usually Predictable

Brakes account for 17.8% of all Vauxhall MOT failures, and the Corsa's pattern here is fairly conventional: worn front discs and pads are the most commonly cited combination, sometimes appearing together with a failed wiper or an unrelated warning light at the same test, simply because these are all wear items that tend to reach their limit around similar mileage. One owner's Corsa failed its second MOT specifically on front discs and pads at the same time as a wiper failure — a reminder that MOT failures often cluster rather than arriving one at a time, since components wearing out together after 30,000-40,000 miles is the normal pattern, not a coincidence.

Electrical Faults — the Corsa's Biggest Category, and Often Misleading

This is genuinely the area worth taking most seriously on a Corsa E, because electrical issues top the entire failure list at 22.9% of all Vauxhall MOT failures — more than suspension or brakes. What makes Corsa electrical faults particularly frustrating is that the symptom and the actual cause are often different components entirely. Owners have reported random stalling, power steering warning lights, and instrument cluster malfunctions that trace back not to the part the warning light names, but to a wiring loom issue or a failing body control module (BCM) instead — meaning a fault can look like one thing and genuinely be another, adding real diagnostic time and cost if a garage starts by replacing the obvious part first.

A body control module (BCM) — often the real cause behind a warning light that points at something else entirely.

A specific, well-documented example on the Corsa E: one owner's airbag warning light illuminated just three days before an MOT, which would have caused an automatic failure — the actual fault traced to a failing sensor, and the replacement part was reportedly on backorder from Vauxhall at the time, suggesting this isn't a rare, isolated failure.

Ignition coil pack failure is also a frequent complaint specifically on Corsa petrol engines across the C, D, and E generations — a failing coil pack causes misfires, rough running, and an illuminated engine management light, and the car may noticeably run on fewer cylinders while it's happening.

An ignition coil pack — a frequent cause of misfires and rough running across the Corsa's C, D, and E generations.

The Lighter Side: Tyres, Wipers, and Lights

As with almost every car in this MOT data, tyres and general lighting round out the list of common issues, and they're the cheapest and easiest to catch yourself. Worn front tyres, a failed wiper, and the usual bulb-related advisories all appear regularly in Corsa test data — none of them are Corsa-specific quirks, just the standard wear items every car accumulates, worth a five-minute check before booking.

The Honest Bottom Line for a 2016 Corsa E Owner

A 2016 Corsa E is, by the data, one of the better years in this car's history to own — the 80.4% pass rate and improved corrosion protection over the preceding D generation are genuinely reassuring numbers. But it does carry one specific, well-documented weak point worth knowing by name: the front strut top mount, which multiple owners report failing or being flagged even at surprisingly low mileage.

Pair that with the broader pattern — electrical faults topping the failure list, often masking a different root cause than the warning light suggests — and the sensible approach is the same as with any older car: listen for knocks over bumps, don't dismiss a dashboard light as trivial without checking it, and read your car's own MOT advisory history rather than assuming this year's strong statistics guarantee an easy pass.

Not sure whether that knock from the front of your Corsa is the known strut mount issue or something else? autOracle can help you work out what's actually going on, and what to expect at your next MOT.

Sources

• Corsa E Forum, “MOT Fail 2016 top mount???” and “MOT Failures with a Corsa E” — corsaeforums.co.uk
• PlateInsight, “Vauxhall Corsa: Which Years Are Reliable and Which to Avoid”, 7,997,744 MOT tests / 719,447 vehicles — plateinsight.co.uk
• CarGarages.co.uk, “Vauxhall Common Problems, MOT Failures & Repair Patterns”, DVSA category data — cargarages.co.uk
• GetCarWise, “Vauxhall Corsa Common Problems & Known Issues — Buying Guide” — getcarwise.co.uk
• CarCostCheck, “Vauxhall Corsa Common Problems, Faults & Repair Costs (2026)”, 1,531,243 real tests — carcostcheck.co.uk
• Volksmaster, “15 Common Vauxhall Corsa Problems” — volksmasterltd.co.uk
• FastCarCheck, “Vauxhall Corsa MOT Failure Statistics” — fastcarcheck.uk
• CarGurus UK, “Vauxhall Corsa Models Over the Years” — cargurus.co.uk